Shocker: Philly suburb Smoke Shops are apparently just selling weed now, says clueless DA

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele released a statement that most smoke shops across the Philly suburbs are straight-up selling weed, rather than hemp, Delta-8, or “legal flower.”

As I’m sure the most of you know, in the Keystone State, actual marijuana is only legal if you have a medical card. Outside of that, THC levels are supposed to be moderated to prevent the sale of what the government deems to be marijuana.

Those laws created the alternatives such as hemp, Delta-8, and “legal flower” that you commonly find at gas stations and the smoke shops mentioned.

Anyways, that brings us to the 10-month undercover investigation that Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and his counterparts in Bucks and Chester Counties underwent to expose these smoke shops for selling classified marijuana.

The investigation found that more than 90% of products tested, from edibles and vapes, to “legal flower”, were way stronger than advertised. The products were backed by fake lab reports to be able to legally sell them in Pennsylvania.

The chaos traces back to the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp products with “low” levels of THC. Naturally, this created a massive gray area for every entrepreneurial burnout with a label printer and a dream.

Steele called it an “unintended consequence,” while also claiming that shops are selling products so strong they could put a horse in timeout, all within state laws.

“What we found in a lot of them is they’re selling straight-up marijuana,” Steele said — which, if we’re being honest, is probably the most accurate product labeling these places have ever had.

Now that we’re all informed, this is a complete waste of time and money

Honestly, the amount of Smoke Shops that just pop up outta no where has been an issue for quite some time now out here in the Philly burbs. (Shoutout Delco)

Respectfully, I’m convinced that these Smoke Shops are all just fronts, selling expired, discounted vape juice, calling it a business, and then hiring family members (from India) as employees as a means of bypassing immigration system in place to legally enter the United States of America.

I believe that because I actually purchase vape liquid from these Smoke Shops. I also (foolishly) when through the legal immigration process with my ex-wife, which was cumbersome and stressful, while also effective if done correctly.

Point being, these shops are all dog shit and nothing in them makes sense. They take up prime real estate in the Philly suburbs and offer products that are literally months, if not years old. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I wandered into one of these shops to find a very old woman, who couldn’t speak a lick of English, and had zero clue about anything related to the (expired) products that they were selling.

That’s not even the point though, now is it?

It’s the fact that the DA is actually investigating whether or not the “weed alternatives” are too much THC. 10-months undercover to figure that out?

Great way to use tax dollars, I guess. I would have had this wrapped up in a week. Just go into a Smoke Shop, buy the products, use them, then send my blood to a lab and see whats inside me.

Problem solved, idiots.

Instead, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele was running a 10-month operation thinking he was doing his constituents a favor. Meanwhile, the majority of them already made 1,000 trips to New Jersey and Delaware to buy legal weed, completely avoiding the sketchy Smoke Shops to begin with.

The lack of self-awareness in our own government buildings is mind-boggling. 

If Pennsylvania was smart, they would just legalize weed and join everyone else in 2025.

The drug is extremely accessible already and there’s no point to have it illegal in one state while also having the ability to hop in your car and drive 15-20 minutes over state lines to buy whatever you can imagine. 

At the very least, these fake Smoke Shops will start disappearing.

Chester County DA Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said he’s already issued 16 search warrants, arrested multiple offenders, and seized over $500,000 in cash. Steele said his team is taking similar steps, promising that anyone selling weed under the guise of “hemp” will “plan on getting arrested.”

Nice job, guys. You’re doing the lords work… lol.

Stop Dragging Your Feet, Legalize Weed in PA

All of this is happening while Pennsylvania continues to drag its feet on legalizing recreational marijuana. State lawmakers are bickering over budgets while the unregulated market does laps around them.

The irony is almost poetic. For those dumb enough to by the alternatives at the fake Smoke Shops, the state’s medical dispensaries are losing business.

If you’re buying “hemp” in a bag shaped like a cartoon snack and the guy behind the counter has neck tattoos of the Philly skyline, odds are you’re not smoking CBD.

You’re smoking weed that is completely unregulated and dangerous for you. You’re better off going to a legal dispensary minutes away in New Jersey and Delaware. Order online and pickup via any drive-thru dispensary either state has to offer. It’s easy, efficient, and way more safer than whatever the illegal, Indian-owned Smoke Shops are selling throughout Pennsylvania.

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